Watching over
by Sheori
Summary: Jiraiya had always been keeping an eye on Naruto in some way. This is some of my thoughts about how Naruto may have grown up.
1. Chapter 1

**I have asked myself so many times how Naruto grew up. Somebody had to feed him and give him shelter when he was a baby. So I made up my own version of events. So here goes.**

**Disclaimer - I do not own Naruto or any of the other characters. **

* * *

It was just another ordinary day. An occasional breeze would flow through the leaves, birds sang, and the sun shown brilliantly in the sky. Jiraiya had just sat down in the cool shade of a large tree to put some of his most recent "research" from the nearby village he had been visiting into his newest book. He had a new idea for his books, and was going to get a good amount of his book written before continuing on to another village. He had heard the women in the next village were even more beautiful than in the village he had just left.

Jiraiya was chuckling, his cheeks turning red, as he moved into the better parts of his story. Writing his stories from this angle would be much more interesting to read and write than the style he had used for his first novel. He would probably sell a lot more. His thoughts were interrupted though as a small toad appeared in front of him, carrying a roll of paper. Jiraiya stopped writing and closed his book immediately. He could tell this was something serious.

Gently, he relieved the toad of the paper and unrolled it. As he read his face showed shock and sorrow. Then he jumped up, and flew through the trees as fast as he could.

He had to return to Kanoha! A nine tailed fox demon had attacked. Many people were dead. There was a great amount of destruction. Worst of all, his student, the fourth hokage, was dead. Jiraiya had only been away two weeks and already he would never see Minato again. He thought now that the third great shinobi war had finally ended, he would be able to leave again for a while. Naruto, his own godchild, had become a container for the monster. He had not even seen Naruto yet, as the baby had been born just a week after he had began traveling again.

It would take almost a full day's journey to return. The pain in his chest from finding out about the loss of his respected student made the movements through the trees difficult. He wanted to be able to fall limply to the ground and fall asleep, maybe to wake up and find this had not happened. He only hoped his uneasy feeling about Naruto's safety was just because he was being overly worried. He hoped villagers could see the difference between a newborn harmless innocent infant and a murderous demon fox that had killed half the village.

Far away from Jiraiya, the usually peaceful and thriving hidden village of the leaf was unrecognizable. Half the buildings were crushed into powder and even the ones still stable needed repairs. Debris and garbage was littered throughout the entire area. Many nearby trees had been flattened.

Several people were working to gather the dead bodies to bury. Sounds of crying children, groans of pain from injured survivors, and sobs of mourning and grieving came from all directions.

Through all this a feeling of anger could be felt coming from many people so strongly it was almost tangible. People wanted revenge for the great blow Konoha had just received. They wanted revenge on the monster fox that had caused this. The monster fox that had made so many people homeless, without food, with no protection. The monster fox that had killed so many family members, friends, and loved ones. The monster fox that was still alive, still in the village. If they could only get rid of the container holding the monster, they would also kill the monster.

The Nine tailed demon would have been killed yesterday, as soon as the knowlede was let out where the fox had gone and what the boy named Naruto really was. But the third hokage, who had agreed to come out of retirement to lead the village again, would not allow any harm to the fox's container. There was also the mother, Uzimaki Kushina, who would not allow harm to the baby.

In the hokage's office the third was frantically trying to make plans for the village's repair. There were now orphans who needed foster homes, and so many buildings to rebuild. So many people were going to need a source of food. He was also making final arrangements for the very large funeral service that would take place in a few days. Not to mention the paper work he had to get through to resume his old posistion as hokage. All of this was on top of the fact that Konoha's defenses were extremely low, and extremely vulnerable to an enemy attack.

There was knock on the door.

"Come in," the third said warily. He hoped this was not going to be another complaint about the repairs needed. More than that, he really hoped this was not going to be another villager complaining about what so many others had been concerned about.

An older jonin walked in with a serious expression. "Forgive me, hokage sama," he said in an agitated voice. "But are you sure we should be allowing that monster to live in this village. Are you sure we shouldn't -"

"Naruto is not a monster, and you will not treat him as one," the hokage cut him off angrily. "I am going to forbid anyone from talking about what that innocent baby holds. If I hear another complaint or suggestion to kill him again, or even another murmer about the fox, that person will be severely punished." The third glared at the jonin that had disrupted his work. He had heard about this so many times in the last day, he had entirely lost his patience.

The ninja looked away angrily. He did not agree with the hokage's decisions, but he wasn't going to be so defiant as to say the retort in his mind.

"Is there anything else you wanted to ask me?" the third asked firmly.

"No, sorry to have bothered you hokage sama," the man said roughly. Then he turned and swiftly left the office.

Saritobi Hiruzen sighed. He was worried for Kushina, alone with her baby. She had just had a terrible loss, and now the entire village wanted revenge on what they thought her son had done. All his best ninja were hard at work repairing damage, or recovering in the hospital. But as soon as he could gather a small AMBU team he would give them some protection. He hoped they would stay safe for just a couple nights alone.

* * *

The sounds of a crying baby could be heard coming from Kushina's home. She cradled the infant and murmured comforting words to him until he quieted down. She looked at his face affectionately. He had such a strong resemblance to Minato, with bright blue eyes and blond hair. There were tear stains running down his cheeks, which now had whisker-like scars. Naruto, who was normally a giggling care free baby, was being unusually restless and unhappy. It was as if he could understand he didn't have a father anymore, or maybe he could sense the other chakra source living inside him now.

Kushina also had unmistakable signs that she had been crying. Her eyes were red, and faint traces of tear stains could also be seen. She looked as though she had not slept in days, and she was very pale. Her exhaustion was starting to overpower her, and as she watched Naruto fall to sleep, she gently laid down on the couch, curling her body protectively around him, and fell into an uneasy sleep.

She slept dreamlessly for some time, as the sun sank lower and lower in the sky. She was disturbed only once when Naruto woke from hunger, and she fed him. Both of them were beyond exhausted, and Naruto fell asleep again quickly, comforted in his mother's arms. Kushina, satisfied Naruto was calm, slipped into unconsciousness again.

A few hours later Kushina's eyes snapped open. Everything seemed so quiet. It was now completely dark outside, and Naruto was sound asleep in her arms. But she had a very uneasy feeling, and after years as a ninja, and many life threatening battles through many wars, she knew to trust her instinct that something was wrong.

Carefully she placed Naruto on the couch, where he laid undisturbed. She stood up and walked gingerly to the door. She could catch some whispers of several angry voices. As she peaked through the key hole she had to stop a gasp of horror. About fifty ninja, mostly genin, some chunin, and a couple she knew to be jonin were gathered outside her house, looking ready for a battle. Behind the group of ninja she could barely see a group of common villagers, carrying various weapons.

She understood immediately. Most of the upper level ninja had missions to do, and knew better and were too mature to defy the hokage's orders. But these lower level ninja only had the easier jobs, and were not as skilled at controlling their emotions. They were teaming up to attack Naruto.

Quickly she ran to the sleeping baby and gently scooped him up, just as the door was broken off it's hinges.


	2. Chapter 2

The door flew forward and crashed into the opposite wall. The sudden loud noise woke Naruto and he began to whimper in fear. This brought everyone's focus to the corner where the mother and baby were huttled.

One of the two jonin stepped forward. He was not very tall, and he looked like the oldest in the group. "Why are you trying to protect that creature," he growled.

Kushina only answered with a furious determined glare. Naruto continued to cry softly, and the noise seemed to agitate the group of ninja even more.

"We have no intention of hurting you," the man said in a slightly calmer voice. "Just step back, we only want to finish the job forth hokage started. The fox should not be allowed to live with us in this village," he said with a little more force. Nobody had known Naruto was the fourth's son, and many people would never learn that either.

There were murmurs of agreement and anger behind him.

Kushina was shaking in anger, but when she spoke her voice was angry, steady, and strong. "Naruto is not a monster fox, he is my baby. I am not going to back down, so don't you even think about touching him!" Kushina might not have been as strong or talented of a ninja as Minato had been, but she had the determination and stamina to make up for that. She placed the crying Naruto in the corner behind her, and stood in front of him, ready to fight.

"She wants to protect it, she can die with it!" someone shouted in the back.

"That monster doesn't deserve to be protected!" another younger voice screamed.

The jonin in front stepped forward angrily. "The demon over there killed my only son," he snarled.

The mob of people advanced on Kushina, and in a split second a great fight had started. Kushina took several damaging blows, but refused to give up. A couple times a ninja had come at Naruto with a weapon and Kushina had only managed to stop it after Naruto had been minorly injured.

Kushina fought until she was almost unconscious, but still she struggled to keep her body in front of Naruto's. Then just as the jonin was about to make a final attack and have his way cleared to get to Naruto, he stopped. People were falling over, it looked like they were being attacked, in the back or the mob.

Then a body jumped so fast over everyone that only a streak was visible. Jiraiya landed directly in front of Kushina, looking livid. He kicked the jonin hard, making him fly back five feet and crash into a young genin.

"Get back to your homes, and out of my sight," he spat disgustedly.

The group of people didn't need to be told twice. They knew this was Jiraiya, one of the sanin, the teacher of the forth hokage. Quickly everyone scrambled to leave, until the only sound left was Naruto's cries of pain and fear.

Concerned, Jiraiya looked look at Kushina. She looked up at him, her eyes were unfocused. She seemed to have lost a lot of blood from several deep wounds across her body. Her body was swaying on the spot.

"Please . . ." she spoke very quietly. "Please . . .help . . . Naruto." Her eyes rolled up into her head and she began to fall. Jiraiya caught her looking very worried. He scooped her into his arms and glanced over at the crying infant.

Naruto was bleeding from a long cut on his face, and a deep bruise was visible on his arm. He didn't seem to have any other injuries. He bent down and gently laid Naruto on top of Kushina. Then with both of them safely in his arms he ran to get them to the hospital.

****

A few hours later Rin was coming back into Kushina's hospital room to check her progress. Jiraiya watched silently from a chair next to Kushina's bed. Little Naruto had finally fallen asleep in Jiraiya's arms. Naruto would be fine, his injuries had healed remarkably fast. Kushina on the other hand was not doing as well.

"How is she doing?" Jiraiya asked quietly so he would not wake Naruto.

"Her injuries are healing well enough, and most of the bleeding has stopped" Rin said softly as she changed the bandaging around Kushina's largest wounds. "Medical ninjutsu is fairly proficient at healing wounds like these. But it can't help illnesses and I'm worried about this high fever that has set in. Her body's defenses seem to already have been weakened from stress and lack of sleep, and now with these bad injuries . . ." Rin trailed off looking worried.

Rin and Jiraiya both looked at Kushina. Indeed she was now extremely pale, and her breathing was very fast and shallow. Even as she shivered under her blankets, beads of sweat were rolling down her face. Rin looked at Jiraiya.

"You should get some rest," she said softly. "We can get a crib in here for Naruto, you have been here a long time."

Jiraiya tore his eyes off Kushina, and looked into Rin's young face. "You're the one who needs to get some rest," he said. Her eyes were blood shot, and they had dark circles under them. She had been working around the clock to help heal the many injured ninja. She was one of the best medical nins in the village. "I'm able to stay here and look after these two as long as you are."

Rin nodded, knowing he had a point. "I need to check on Kakashi and Asuma," she said. "Call me if something happens." She left, closing the door quietly behind her.

Jiraiya continued to watch Kushina silently. He wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but her breathing seemed to be coming in shallower and shallower very rapid breaths. He was growing very uneasy, and thought he would call in a medic to check on her again. Cradling Naruto in one arm, he crossed over to the emergency button and pressed it. He knew it would just be a couple of minutes until somebody arrived.

He stood over Kushina and rested the back of his hand on her forehead. She was on fire, and he didn't know if he had ever felt a temperature that high. At that moment several things happened at once. The door flew open as two medics rushed in to see what the emergency was. This woke Naruto who began to cry softly. Then when everyone's eyes traveled to Kushina it was apparent she was not breathing.

Jiraiya stepped out of the way to give the medics room. They began emergency medical jutsus, but nothing seemed to have any effect. Several medics were rushing in and out, bringing ice to try to lower her body temperature, and equipment. There were shouts about getting her heart muscles restarted. Rin was performing medical ninjutsu over her chest, a small green glow was showing right over Kushina's heart. All the while Naruto cried in Jiraiya's arms.

Next thing that happened Kushina was being covered in a white sheet, and all the medics had dead expressions in their eyes. Jiraiya stared in horror, and Rin sunk to the floor, tears flowing down her face.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks a lot for the reviews! As always, they mean a lot to me. I'm hoping to update again soon.  
**

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Jiraiya woke up late the next morning to Naruto's cries of hunger. He sat up slowly with his head pounding and looked around sleepily. He was in his old apartment, and it took him a couple minutes to remember why he was here, instead of the distant village he been at. Then the memories of last night came back to him.

He remembered insisting Naruto should stay with him, so he could be sure of his safety. He remembered comforting Rin, before she headed home to get some much needed sleep herself. He remembered rocking Naruto until he finally settled down again, then creating a make shift bed out of pillows and blankets for him so he couldn't roll away and hurt himself. With a heavy feeling in his heart he also remembered how Naruto had become an orphan.

Jiraiya stood and picked up Naruto. He had just a little bit of milk from the hospital to give him for breakfast, then he was going to have to buy some. The baby stopped crying immediately and drank hungrily, making small gulping sounds. Jiraiya at least knew what he was doing, since as a genin he had accomplished several D rank babysitting missions. After Naruto finished, Jiraiya gathered most of his saved up money from missions to go on a large shopping trip.

As he walked down the streets with Naruto he received several glares from almost everyone. Looks of hatred and disgust were all focused at Naruto who watched this with wide blue eyes. Even as a baby he seemed to realize a little bit that he was not liked. Jiraiya scowled, wondering how this village could treat a baby so unfairly. He wondered how safe Naruto would be if he weren't with him, and he didn't have to think long before he knew the answer.

Many stores and houses were still being repaired, but there was some at the edge of the village with minimal damage where you could buy what you needed. Jiraiya bought baby formula, and other food to restock his apartment. Then he had to stop at his old student's house to get all of Naruto's old things. This had not been something he was looking forward to.

He gathered all of Naruto's clothes, and diapers. Then searched for anything else that he might need. He thought he had every important item he needed, and was just about to leave when something green caught his eye. With a twinge he noticed it was Minato's old frog wallet. Minato had bought that right after he had learned the summoning jutsu. It seemed like so long ago now. Jiraiya picked it up and pocketed it, then with his bags of clothes and food over one arm, and Naruto in the other, he left.

Several months went by like that. Jiraiya felt as though his entire life had been turned upside down. Now he was stuck in Konoha, protecting and taking care of his student's only son. This had not been how he had planned to live his life. It wasn't like he didn't love Naruto and enjoy watching him grow up, because he did. Naruto was such a happy and easy baby to take care of. His bright blue eyes were always so curious and alert, and it was very easy to get him to laugh.

On the other hand Jiraiya didn't like to be stuck in one place. He loved to travel and gather thoughts and materials for books. As it was he rarely left his apartment just to avoid the angry glares from villagers that were directed at Naruto. Another problem was how the village council members had quickly discovered that Jiraiya was living in the village again, and tried to assign him missions and give him work to do. Jiraiya did not want to risk leaving Naruto alone for a minute, and always had to turn these requests down.

One time when he had gone out for lunch, he had pulled up one of the high chairs for Naruto. Jiraiya had gone up to the sails counter to buy another cup of tea, which was only about five feet from the table where Naruto was sitting. He had taken his eyes off Naruto for only a few seconds to hand over his money, and when he turned around again Naruto was gone. Running out of the tea shop he saw a villager running away with Naruto crying softly from how roughly he had been handled.

Jiraiya had easily been able to catch up and snatch Naruto back before the villager even knew what had happened. Then Jiraiya had glared angrily so the villager ran away with a frightened expression. Since then Naruto was hardly ever out of Jiraiya's arms, and when he was all of Jiraiya's attention was focused on Naruto.

Jiraiya was able to watch Naruto's first steps that summer. Naruto was also now able to speak a few words. There was the memorable day Naruto had learned the word "no". After his first birthday passed Naruto was becoming more rebellious and a sort of wild child now that he was mobile. Not only did Jiraiya have to protect Naruto from revenge seeking villagers, but he had to protect him from himself.

Jiraiya was also almost out of money, and couldn't believe all his savings had been used up this quickly. He was going to have to find some way to leave Naruto so he could do a mission or two and make some money.

"One day I'm going to make you spend all your money on me," Jiraiya sighed to the toddler one night when he saw he had to buy more food.

"No!" Naruto shouted loudly. "No no no no no no," he yelled at the tops of his lungs as jumped on the couch.

Jiraiya scowled, "stop using that stupid word!" he demanded, as he placed Naruto back on the floor.

"NO!" Naruto had shouted back and tried to get back on the couch.

Another day when Naruto was taking his afternoon nap, Jiraiya had tried once again to continue his newest novel. He had only managed to write one page in a year. It proved to be so difficult to write when you were stuck in one area. Again he dreamed about being free to wonder and research whenever and wherever he pleased. A loud crash and cries of pain brought him out of his thoughts, and he rushed into the kitchen to find Naruto on the floor with a broken plate next to him. He had obviously been climbing on the table again, and this time Jiraiya had not noticed it in time.

The next thing that was happening was Jiraiya had to take Naruto to the hospital because of an injured leg. Rin was working there again, and she quickly diagnosed it as a sprained ankle. Naruto seemed to have landed on it hard when he fell. But in a matter of minutes between her ninjutsu skills and Naruto's healing abilities it was perfectly fine.

"How is everything going," Rin asked politely as a delighted Naruto realized he could run again.

"Everything's been ok. I'm realizing I need to earn some money again though, and I don't feel safe leaving him alone," he replied as Naruto zoomed back and forth as fast as his legs could carry him.

"If you wanted, I could watch him for you so you can do some missions," Rin offered. "All the village shinobi have settled down and are listening to hokage sama, and you know I can take care of myself against villagers."

Jiraiya considered this. He felt he could trust Rin. She had been one of Minato's students after all, and she knew Naruto was his son. She cared about Naruto almost as much as Jiraiya did. But Rin wasn't entirely right about all the ninja having calmed down. There were still a few days Jiraiya would catch looks of pure loathing coming from even some of the more advanced village shinobi. But things were still definitely a lot safer for Naruto now.

"I think I might take you up on that offer," Jiriya replied as he pulled Naruto off the window curtains he had been trying to climb. "I will go and talk to the third now. Then we are going home, and you are getting a bath," he said firmly to Naruto.

"NOOOO!" Naruto squealed and tried to break free of Jiraiya's hold as he was carried out of the hospital.


	4. Chapter 4

Jiraiya had finished getting his weapons and other ninja essentials packed. He had closed and locked up his apartment and was now bringing Naruto to Rin's small apartment at the other end of the village.

The third had a mission that would be perfect for him. A few weeks ago there had been an anonymous request for a capable ninja to look into what seemed to be secret organization gatherings. This would be an S ranked mission, and one best done alone to help not attract attention. The third did not think he would be able to find a strong enough shinobi to do such a mission. He was very relieved when Jiraiya came to him to ask for a mission.

This mission was going to pay really well, but it would also take a while. Gathering information and spying without being noticed could take months. Jiraiya had to hope the villagers and some village ninja were more trustworthy now that the entire village had been repaired and emotional and physical wounds had time to heal. He would be a little worried about Rin's and Naruto's safety while he would be away

It was late at night and Naruto was sleeping soundly as he was carried to his new temporary caretaker. Jiraiya wanted to leave in secret and hoped very few people would notice his absence.

He knocked lightly on Rin's door, and She opened it immediately.

"Take good care of him, and good luck," Jaraiya said with a grin as he passed the sleeping Naruto to Rin.

"We'll be fine," she said softly. "I am able to take some time off work to watch him. I will make sure he stays safe." As she spoke she looked at Naruto with a determined expression.

Jiraiya understood. _She would naturally feel protective of her teacher's only son_, he thought. "I'll try to be back as soon as I can," he said more seriously.

Rin nodded, and in a puff of smoke Jiraiya was gone.

Jiraiya had used some of his best tracking abilities to find the group of ninja mentioned in the request. It had taken him almost three weeks to track them down.

They seemed to be having meetings in a small cave. He also found the meetings were very irregular, and never had any kind of set time, day, or pattern. Somehow all members seemed to know when a meeting was at once.

Without being discovered, Jiriaya had a very hard time finding many details. One day he managed to see dark shapes of six people. Then he had to move away quickly before someone noticed him. He felt sure they had noticed him, so he hid inside one of his toads, deep underwater for about two weeks, to avoid being detected again.

When he dared to come back up and spy again he was able to get more information slightly easier. He had a bad feeling they were doing this on purpose, probably to gain more members. They needed their group to be somewhat known to gather members, but Jiraiya still gathered the information. This was obviously a very dangerous group, and the third needed to know about it.

He managed to learn the group was calling itself Akatsuki. All the members were exiled ninja from different villages, and they were probably also all S class. Unfortunately he was not able to gather any names.

He tried to send toads in to gather information during meetings, but each were killed before it could reach Jiraiya. Finally a toad had barely escaped with some of Jiraiya's help. It had only managed to gather a couple words, but they were informative. Akatsuki was planning something to do with tailed beasts.

Jiraiya's thoughts instantly went to Naruto. He knew this could mean trouble for him in the future. He had to stay longer and learn more. But from that day on Jiraiya had not been able to learn anything more. He had to return with the knowledge he had, it had already been over three months anyway.

He was still very worried for Naruto. He thought he should start teaching him some very basic ninja skills. He could learn to fight even at such a young age. After all, he was the son of a genius . . .

At the very least, Jiraiya knew he had made a huge sum of money, and he would now be able to support himself and Naruto again. So with that thought in mind, he knew he was going to head back soon.

***  
Naruto had noticed it was no longer the old strange man taking care of him. He now lived with a very calm and quiet younge girl. Naruto liked her, and always felt very relaxed around her.

She took him out of the village often, which he greatly enjoyed. He hated being stuck inside all day. Rin would regularly take him for walks into the forest, or to eat lunch under the large tree outside the village.

Whenever they did go out of the house and through the village Naruto was now fully aware of the angry glares he recieved. They bothered him, and he wondered what he had done wrong to make people so angry with him. Whenever Rin noticed someone glaring, she would pull Naruto behind her protectively. Otherwise Rin seemed to be ignoring all the angry people, so Naruto followed her example.

Then after a while the old man had returned, and Naruto didn't get to see the younge girl much anymore. The man would now do more fun things. He would also take Naruto out to the forest and even played fun games with him. Naruto soon began calling him sama, since that was the last part he would hear when other people talked to him. Jiraiya had tried to tell Naruto how to say Ji-rai-ya, and that "Sama" was not a name, but Naruto was too stubborn. Sama was much easier for Naruto to say, so Jiraiya gave up.

Naruto was learning how to throw a shiny knife at a target, and how to aim. Naruto always lost at this game, and could never hit the target right in the middle. But he was very slowly getting better. They also played dodging games, where Sama would softly throw several rocks at him, and Naruto had to dodge them. If one hit him, it had always been thrown softly enough that it never hurt. Naruto would try to throw rocks back, but could never even come close to hitting him

They also played tag. This was Naruto's favorite. Naruto would be told to run away and not let himself be caught. Then Sama would chase him. Naruto was best at this game, since he learned to climb trees and hide fairly well in various placed. But of course he would always be tackled and the game would end as Naruto giggled in Sama's arms.

After a few months, Naruto had learned to speak in full gramitical setences, and had finally agreed to call Jiraiya by his real name. Naruto had also discovered his favorite food, and asked for it every night for dinner. Jiraiya had never cared much about proper nutrition so the two had cup ramen daily.

Naruto's third birthday came and went. Nothing much really happened during it, but it was still nice. Rin stopped by and gave him a free meal pass at ichiruka's. She had learned he loved ramen, and thought it would be nice it he got to try some real ramen.

Jiraiya had given him some spending money to get whatever he wanted. Jiraiya told him he should save it for something he might really need someday. Naruto's three year old mind didn't really know what to think of money or what to use it for. But dinner at Ichiruka's that night had tasted so good, he had decided what he was going to spend all his money on. He had thought he knew what ramen tasted like, but this was heaven. He planned to come back as many times as he could.

Along with him becoming a year older, Naruto could now hit his target with what he knew now was called a shurikin. Now Jiraiya was teaching him how to throw several at once. Naruto was also learning how to strengthen his muscles so he could throw harder and run faster.

"Naruto, do you see those faces carved in the rocks? Jaraiya had asked one day after Naruto had mastered throwing three shurikin perfectly. Naruto looked up to see Jiraiya pointing at three faces carved in stone looking down at the village. "They were all ninja who have become the strongest in this village and have been respected by everyone. "You're going to become a very strong ninja some day" he said.

Naruto looked away from the four carved faces. "I know everyone else doesn't think I'm going to be strong," he mumbled

Jiraiya looked sharply at Naruto. "Don't ever let anyone tell you what you can or can't do," he said firmly. "Only you can decide if you will become strong or not. Prove them wrong."

Naruto didn't reply, but thought hard about Jiraiya's words. From that day on, he had decided to do just that. He was not goint to let anyone tell him what to do, even those angry looking people in the village. They all didn't think he was ever going to be worth anything, he would definitely proove them wrong. He would become a very strong ninja, one like those faces carved in the mountain. So one day this entire village could respect him too.

It was only a few months after that day that it happened.

Jaraiya couldn't belive it. Orochimaru, his friend, had abandoned the village. The third had discovered him experimenting with ilegal ninjutsu, and Orochimaru had escaped. The news had spread very quickly all over the village. Jiraiya had to try to bring him back, to talk some sense into him.

He quickly brought Naruto to Rin, and apolagized about the sudden need for her help. Then he told the third what he planned to do, and he followed after Orochimaru, determined to bring him back. It would be common knowledge in a weeks time that Jiraiya failed to bring his friend back. But Jiraiya for some reason didn't return after the failed mission.

That would be the last time the village would see the sanin for a while.


	5. Chapter 5

The sun had begun to set, and the already dark sky was becoming darker. Thick gray clouds blocked most of the light of the setting sun making it seem later than it was and a light mist was falling slowly. Families and villagers were hurrying to the shelter of their homes for the night before it began to rain harder. Only one person was left outside.

Jiraiya walked between the houses and allowed the rain to soak him. He had made a lot of progress gathering ideas and research for his novel. This was a very good village to visit, since all the women here seemed very healthy and fit, and they enjoyed spending a lot of time outside. He would probably have his book finished in just a few more weeks.

He found a small tea shop and went in to buy some tea and escape the rain. He sat in a corner of the shop, lost in thought as he sipped his tea. He didn't feel as happy as he thought he should. It was as if the sudden change in weather was reflecting his mood. He was doing all the things he wanted to do, like traveling again, and writing, and researching but ever since Orochimaru had left he could not enjoy these things like he used to.

He didn't feel like he could return to Konaha either. He was ashamed at not being able to bring Orochimaru back, and he didn't want to show his face just yet. He had checked on Naruto though, and saw he and Rin were still doing well. The danger had also passed since nobody seemed angry anymore. The peaceful years had turned everyone's anger and furry at Naruto into only disgust of what he was. So Jiriaya had decided to stay away a little longer.

He did Know tomorrow was Naruto's birthday. He thought he would go back to Kanoha again soon to check on how he was doing.

"I wonder what the little guy is up to right now," he said quietly to himself as he relaxed back into his seat and listened to the steady rain.

Back in Kanoha it was a very different night. The full moon was clearly visible and stars were coming out as the last red glow of the sun dissapeared behind the mountains. There was a calm warm breeze and the soft sound of cicedas surrounded the area.

Naruto knew his forth birthday was tomorrow, and he was very excited about it. Rin had promised to take him out on a long camping trip and show him some advanced survival skills. It was going to be just like being a real ninja on a real mission, something Naruto had been thinking a lot about lately. He has been dreaming about being a ninja and becoming strong. Then all the people who seemed to think so little of him might understand how strong he was.

"Hey hey, Rin, are we also going to train while we are away?" Naruto asked loudly as he stuffed what Rin had showed him to bring into his bag.

"Yes," she replied soflty with a slightly amused expression at his excitement. "That's why I told you to bring your shurikans and kunai."

"Why did you give me only one cup of ramen to bring?" he complained as he pounded on a cup of ramen to try and force it into the lumpy backpack. "We should eat ramen every night, and this won't be enough. Are you going to buy more?"

"No, we are only going to eat ramen tomorrow night for your birthday. After that I will show you what you can find outside to eat."

Naruto had mixed emotions about this. He had hoped since this was his birthday present he would get to eat his favorite food every night. But at the same time he wanted to be strong and able to take care of himself. In the end he decided learning how to find food outside and giving up ramen was a good thing.

He stared at his stuffed backpack. He had finally jammed the ramen inside but he still had to get his sleeping bag in somehow. He grabbed the corner of it and began to stuff it into one of the tiny air pockets. He paused and looked up at Rin who was neatly placing some pots and bottles of water inside her own pack. "Do you know a lot about what foods we can find outside?" he asked, his eyes wide with curiosity.

"Yes, I can show you a lot of plants I learned about for medicle ninjutsu, and I know a lot that are good to eat," she replied as she finished packing and zipped her bag closed easily. Then she looked at Naruto and almost laughed. He was now bouncing on his bag and bunched sleeping bag in a greater attempt to force it in.

"How long are we going to be away?" he panted as he bounced. "We should stay away for a long time," he stopped bouncing and stared at his feet. "I don't really like being here, everyone seems mad at me all the time and I don't know why."

The room was quiet for a while. Then Rin stood up and sat on the floor next to Naruto. "You need to give people time to get to know you. They just don't know who you are," she said lightly. "And you are never going to get you bag packed like that, you need to put things in neatly," she said as she emptied the bag and packed it properly. "It's not only important to pack things neatly so it can fit, but you also want to be able to find things quickly when you need them."

Naruto watched her silently as she fit the items inside neatly and zipped it shut. Once she had finished she looked up at him. He seemed quieter than usual and lost in thought. "lets go to bed so we can be ready for the day tomorrow," she said gently. She stood and headed to her bed. Naruto nodded and followed after her.

The camping trip was turning out to be a lot of fun and a really good learning experience. Rin and Naruto had only been out three days and Naruto felt sure he could feed himself outside if he ever needed to. Rin had shown him how to hunt clean and cook several animal, and Naruto had really good aim now with his throwing knives. He had also learned quickly how to spear a fish without being confused by the refraction of light in the water. Then there were also a lot of edible plants and some ways to find where fruit grew.

It was early morning and Rin and Naruto were still asleep in their sleeping bags near the embers of the dieing fire. Bones from the fish they had last night were near them, as well as a large bowl of blueberries they planned to have for breakfast. A large bird began circling and calling above them. Naruto who was in a deep sleep didn't notice, but Rin's eyes snapped open at once. She knew the significance of the bird.

"Naruto! you need to get up quickly and pack your stuff to head home," she said hurridly as she put her things quickly in her bag and stood up.

Naruto groaned and rolled over. "Can't I just sleep a few more minutes," he mumbled.

"No, I need to leave, and I want to make sure you are headed home and have the keys," she said.

Naruto sat up quickly, looking shocked. "You need to leave?"

"Yes, I am being summoned by the hokage for a mission," she said seriously. Then as an afterthought she added, "It must be serious and important if he is calling me this early while I am on vacation."

Naruto seemed to finally understand the situation and jumped and and quickly began packing his stuff as quickly and neatly as he could.

Rin handed him the keys to the apartment. "Go straight home, and keep the door locked at all times, even if you're inside. There is money in the safe if you need to buy anything. I don't know how long I will be away, probably at least a few days." With that Rin dissapered in a cloud of smoke, leaving Naruto to stare at the empty patch of grass in front of him.

Dissapointed, he threw his bag on his back and slowly headed back to the village. He had been hoping to stay out for at least a little while longer, and he certainly had not wanted his trip to end so abruptly. Rin had never been needed for a mission, and was usually only needed at the hospital. Whatever her mission was it must have been serious.

The village was very quiet, since nobody had gotten up yet. Naruto unlocked the door stepped in and locked it from the inside as Rin had told him to. He looked around glumly, the place seemed so quiet and dead looking when Rin wasn't around. He hoped she wouldn't be gone for too long.

Unfortunately Naruto had no way of knowing Rin would never return from that mission. He also had no way of knowing that in just a week, Rin's name would be carved on a large memorial stone, right next to Uchiha Obito.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N Thanks a lot for the handful of reviews I have received. I know this chapter is really short, but I am hoping to update again soon. I am having fun trying to think of what might have happened with Naruto's childhood, but it's still harder than I thought it would be.**

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Jiraiya had gathered a lot more information about the organization who called themselves Akatsuki. There were now eight members, and he had been able to gather information about a few of them.

Kisame was an exiled ninja from the hidden village of the mist. He was known to be very strong and dangerous. There was a ninja who always stayed inside what looked like a large puppet. From this Jiraiya had a guess he was the exiled ninja from the sand, Sasori. Then there was Orochimaru, the newest member.

Orochimaru was the reason Jiraiya had continued watching the Akatsuki. Jiraiya had just finished his book, and was thinking about returning to the village to publish it when he had caught a rumor of where his old friend was. This was where he had found him. Red hot fury boiled inside Jiraiya every time he managed to glimpse Orochimaru working for an organization like this.

It had been almost two years since Orochimaru and Jiraiya had left. Naruto and Rin were on his mind a lot, and he had no idea how they were doing. The last time he had seen them was when he had checked on them a year ago to make sure they were alright. They had been taking a vacation and camping when he had spotted them from the top of a tall tree. They seemed to be living quite well together. He had cut off all communication from Kanoha since then to avoid being detected. But he was planning to return soon. He also wanted to deliver what he had learned to the hokage.

A few days later, Jiraiya had returned to Kanoha. The village was now very peaceful and relaxed, and certainly much different atmosphere than five years ago. Jiraiya looked towards Rin's apartment with a torn feeling. He really wanted to see Naruto again, and continue where he left off to raise him, but at the same time he wanted to continue watching the Akatsuki since they were such a potential danger to Naruto and Konoha. He was the only ninja truly suitable for the job, and Naruto probably wouldn't even remember him. Either way, he was going to talk to the third first.

Silently Jiraiya crouched on the roof next to the third's open office window. Here he could see and hear everything the hokage was doing. Certainly not the most polite way to greet the leader of the village, but Jiraiya had never been known for doing many things that were socially acceptable. Jiraiya watched silently from his perch for a few minutes.

At the moment the third seemed to be finishing some paper work. He was bent low over his desk with a slight frown. The third sighed, gathered the papers into a neat pile, and muttered to himself, "I need a break."

"Than perhaps while you rest you should read my newest novel, Itcha Itcha Paradise," Jiraiya sad loudly with a grin. He lightly jumped through the window holding his newest book up so it could be seen. "It's much more exciting than my first one. It was made from my advanced peeking skills, and is not really intended for children, if you know what I mean."

The third's cheeks flushed slightly pink, but otherwise he didn't seem interested. "Jiraiya, when did you return?"

"Just a few minutes ago. I wanted to bring my book over to see if it will sell. I will let you be one of the first lucky people to read it," he said, as if this book was the greatest treasure in the world. He placed the book on the third's desk.

The third glanced at it quickly, then cleared his throat and looked up. "I have a feeling you have returned for a reason more important than your perverted books," the third said seriously. "You have been gone for so long, and there are a few things I must tell you."

Jiraiya's face and tone became serious in a split second. "Yes, I do have some important information I want to tell you, but first what has happened here?"

A couple hours later Jiraiya was heading to Rin's apartment to see for himself what the third had told him. Sure enough, once he arrived and looked in the window, it was not Naruto he saw inside. Instead three ordinary villagers sat on the couch, obviously drunk.

The third had explained Rin's death, and told him just a few months ago a group of villagers had chased Naruto out of her apartment she had left to him. Naruto had apparently used up Rin's money she had given him, and needed to steal to survive. As a result villagers had become angry again, and he was forced out of the apartment and lived in the woods, at the area where he had seen Rin for the last time.

Jiraiya too a deap breath then sighed. He was determined not to get too angry so he could chase the villagers out without hurting them.

Well, maybe he would hurt them a little.


	7. Chapter 7

**I'm so sorry to anyone who might have been reading this before my long absence from Fanfiction! My computer crashed shortly after finishing chapter 6, and all my outlined thoughts for future chapters went with it. Since then I've had trouble continuing to write. **

**But, I feel like I'm ready to end this story now, and I think there's only a few more chapters until the end. Thanks to anyone who has read this, and anyone who reviews in the future! I would be happy to hear some critisism as well, to know of anything I should change or work on. I've already seen people point out spelling mistakes. I've tried to fix a bunch already, but I know I've still missed some. **

**Anyway, enough from me. Here's chapter 7.**

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Naruto woke up in the early morning hours to the feeling of an empty stomach. He stretched inside his sleeping bag and rubbed his eyes, not wanting to get up. A painfully loud growl from his stomach gave him the motivation to sit up.

The sun was just beginning to peak out above the distant mountains, casting a vibrant red and purple light obove it. Birds all around were just beginning to sing, and there was still a wet dew sparkling in the tall grass.

Naruto shivered as he climbed out of his sleeping bad. "It's too early to be awake," he grumbled to himself, fighting to stifle a yawn.

He knew he needed to find something to eat. It seemed he was able to find less and less food lately.

Two hours later, Naruto decided to return to his little campsite with low spirits and a still empty stomach. Living out here alone was becoming harder and harder by the day. He wasn't sure how much longer he could continue. When he was almost back, and ready to collapse back in his sleeping bag he froze. There was a definite smell of fish. The strong smoky scent made his mouth water and stomach clench in pain.

But that meant someone was nearby. He could hear footsteps and even humming as the fire crackled in the background. People were not to be trusted.

Quietly, Naruto climbed up to a branch of the nearest tree. Then he stealthily leaped from branch to branch as he had been taught so he could see. Through several leaves and branches the sight or a roaring fire caught his eye. He saw over a dozen fish cooking around it and a large jug of water. Naruto winced as an especially strong wave of hunger spread over him. He couldn't stop his mouth from watering.

Then he spotted the humming man carrying a large bowl of cooked rice towards the fire. He had long white untamed hair, and looked fairly old. It wasn't one of the mean visitors that Naruto had ever seen before, but somehow he seemed a little familiar. Naruto had a strange feeling he could trust this person.

The man sat quickly by the fire and took one of the cooked fish. He tore a huge bite of and sighed in satisfaction. Naruto was wondering who this guy could possibly be. He seemed to just appear out of nowhere.

Suddenly the man looked up at the brach where Naruto was hiding. "Hey, Kid. Aren't you coming down already? I can't eat all of this myself."

Naruto held his breath, wondering what to do. He told himself to never trust anybody, and fend for himself. But on the other hand he was very hungry, and he still had the feeling this person was different from the others in the village.

Slowly he climbed down and sat opposite the man. His eyes never left the man's face as he took one of the fish and bit into it. It was wonderful, and he hadn't had food other than an occasional nut or berry in a very long time.

"So what are you doing out here kid? Don't you have someplace to live?" the man asked in between bites of his second fish.

"This is where I live," Naruto mumbled, finally looking away, and staring at his feet instead as he ate.

"Here? Surely you have someplace else to go. Now tell me, where do you really live?" The man leaned a little closer to Naruto, a look of true concern visible on his face.

Naruto didn't know how it happened, but within the next minute he told this complete stranger everything. He told him how his caretaker had never returned from her last mission. He told him how he had then lived in her abandoned apartment. Finally, he explained how a group of angry villagers had chased him out of his own house, and how he needed to steal to live, and was chased out of the village because of it.

"That apartment?" the man asked after Naruto's story finally ended. "I saw that apartment just earlier. There's definitely nobody living in it now. You should check it out."

Naruto gaped. "Are you sure?"

"Do you think I'd lie?" the man grinned.

Naruto didn't answer. It all seemed so strange and sudden to him. So the two simply continued to eat the fish in silence.

"Well, Naruto. I have to be going, I have research to continue," the man said with a grin as he stood. "It was nice talking to you."

"Wait! Naruto gasped standing as well. "How do you know my name. What's your name?"

The man only grinned wider. "Make sure you check up on the apartment of yours sometime soon," he said cheerfully. Then he had held his hand up in a farewell gesture and was gone.

Naruto stared at the spot the strange man had just vacated. He wasn't sure what to think. But at least his stomach was full for the first time in a while, and the extra rice had been left. Naruto planned to eat it for dinner, and check out his apartment late at night when others were asleep, so he wouldn't be in trouble if the man was wrong.

Late in the night, after a nap, and a large helping of rice, Naruto cautiously crept through the village toward his old home. Once he was there, he peaked in each window, and saw the man was right. There were no other people living there, and even the possessions they had brought with them when they took over the place didn't seem to be anywhere in site.

Naruto put his hand on the door, and found it was open. He quickly stepped inside and turned on the light. It was just as he remembered it.

With a cry of excitement he opened his cupboard to find it filled with ramen and various other easy meals. The fridge was stocked with fresh milk and produce. But even more exciting was when he got to his bed.

Sitting on top was a fat little frog wallet, stuffed full with money. With a smile, he set the little wallet on his night stand and got into bed. It had turned out to be a pretty good day after all.


End file.
